Indie Content Creator: Chris Smoove’s YouTube Channel Is Where Gamers And Sports Fans Unite
Sports and gaming are two separate practices — one is centered on physical endurance whereas the other involves negotiating a range of simulations. From different angles, however, both worlds have far more in common than meets the eye. As far as entertainment goes, a lot of gamers are also sports fans. Furthermore, some of the most popular PC and console games are of major-league sports and their annual updates.
Need proof? Just check out Chris Smoove’s YouTube channel. As he approaches his seventeenth year on the platform, the multidisciplinary content creator from Florida has established himself as one of the most prolific NBA commentators while punctuating his steady output with gameplays. With over 5 million subscribers, he has a whopping 3.5 billion views to his credit on this page alone, so his succinct bio certainly holds up: “There's strong, and then there's Army Strong! There's smooth, and then there's Chris Smoove!”
What makes him particularly unique is that he seamlessly fluctuates between daily sports rundowns and animated storylines. Still, it is apparent that his main draw is pro-basketball and his most-viewed material is specific to that domain. Above all, he is an NBA guy, from his precise compilations of matches within a 24-hour cycle to his dominance on 2K.
The self-titled YouTube channel (a power move unto itself, because what greater brand than a memorable name like Chris Smoove?) is multifaceted and features rotating formats for its diverse audience. Though interest between sports entertainment and gaming may overlap, they are consumed differently, and he is privy to that. The two distinct categories on his page are NBA news and extended gameplays, and they both take on different forms.
The NBA has a busy schedule, which means Smoove does too. The league broadcasts up to ten games on their most packed days, so it would be nearly impossible for him to fit every matchup on his to-do list, especially since the season has very few off days. Yet, he manages to put together highlights from the most compelling clashes and narrows them down to two-to-three-minute clips. These reels, aside from showcasing pro-basketball excellence, come with commentary that is ripe with statistical and contextual information. This goes a long way because there is a demand for convenient overviews among sports fans who can’t make the time to watch live games, and to have it all in one place carries a lot of weight. Additionally, he talks about everything on the periphery of the league’s central attraction — contracts, trades, prospects etc.
Smoove is reliable because he goes to work every day of the regular season. He has highlight clips posted within hours of a match taking place; he can’t wait longer than that since the next set of games begin soon after! Whereas other outlets such as TNT and ESPN also post highlight reels, it’s only for the games they broadcast. The NBA channel and website chop up every game, but their videos are much longer and usually around ten minutes. Smoove, on the other hand, compresses the matches even further, such that he’ll cover four games in the amount of time it takes the NBA to do one. Though this seems like a minor detail, it makes all the difference to those who are unable to set aside the time to follow every game on a daily basis.
As a gamer, Smoove doesn’t limit himself to just sports, though that remains his primary selling point. In this space, he makes gameplay videos of EA sports gems like Madden NFL, FIFA and UFC, while also throwing in fan favorites such as God of War and Grand Theft Auto. Known for excelling at the NBA games, he is often referred to as “The Godfather of 2K.” As an online player, he has popularized catchphrases like “Beasting and feeeasting,” “Give that guy a map! Where is he going,” “That's some cheese” and the autotuned “Splash,” among several others. Though he isn’t as active on Twitch, he puts out his gaming content on there as well.
The gaming videos, released in multiple installments, range anywhere between ten minutes to an hour. This is designed for viewers who have more time and the patience to watch Smoove walk them through an entire game, head to toe.
When put together, the NBA clips and extensive gameplays are like breaking news and long-form articles respectively, organized by seasons and games in the form of playlists. The highlights are dry and matter-of-fact because they serve people with busy schedules as well as those from different time zones who can’t always fit two-and-a-half-hour matches into their sleep cycle. Because they’re trying to catch up on the latest in pro-basketball, he doesn’t waste time on making it entertaining. On the contrary, the gameplays are far more dramatic.
As a sports commentator, his main attraction is consistency and brevity; as a gamer, it’s assisting those who can’t make it past certain challenges. Chris Smoove fulfills a prevailing demand and provides his audience with quality material in the world of sports and entertainment. In doing so, he has brought together two seemingly different crowds over the same interest — watching others excel at competition.
